Memory Box
by apracot
Summary: Emily and Hotch's kids find a box full of memories from their years together. WARNING: Character death!


Well this story is one that I've been thinking about for a while now but I haven't gotten around to writing... until today. It's basically a bunch of note's and letters that Hotch and Emily sent to each other over the years.

Disclaimer: *sigh* Still not mine!  
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Emily sat on the couch in the living room, wrapped up in a warm blanket, watching CSI Miami... and laughing at how over the top it was... and generally just enjoying the rare moment of silence.

The silence didn't last long however as seconds later three sets of feet could be heard trampling down the stairs at lightning speed.

"Mom, mom, mom!" Three voices shouted, just as the sitting room door burst open and Jack ran in followed by two raven hared children of about seven, who were obviously twins, one a boy and the other a girl.

"Yes?" Emily asked, adjusting her position on the couch to allow the three children to sit down.

"Look what we found." The first twin said as he shoved a small box into her lap.

Emily smiled once she seen the box, she'd almost forgotten she had that.

"Where'd you find this?" Emily asked as she ran her hands over the lid slowly.

"We were playing hide and seek and Joshua and Lola were hiding in the basement and Joshua found it down there." Jack informed her. "What's in it?" he asked curiously.

"Well there's only one way to find out." Emily said, pretending not to know, as she opened the lid of the box carefully.

"It's a bunch of paper!" Joshua exclaimed as he looked inside.

"No look there's writing on them." Lola corrected him as she lifted one out and began to read.

_Emily,_

_I hope you have all your case files finished because after tonight you'll..._

"I don't think you need to read the rest of that honey." Emily said as she snatched the not out of her daughters hand quickly, blushing a deep red as she remembered the rest of that note.

"Can I read this one?" Jack asked as he picked another piece of paper out.

"Sure." Emily said as she glanced at the note quickly to make sure it was PG.

_Dear Emily,_

_The girl I see even in my dreams,  
I've wanted to ask for a while now but I haven't had the courage so I decided to write it instead... Emily Prentiss I've been in love with you for a very long time now, but for some reason I haven't yet asked you this... more fool me really... but if you can forgive me that I'd love if you would come to dinner with me... tonight I'll be at the swing room at seven and I'd be honoured if you would even consider joining me._

_All my love,  
Aaron _

"Are these letters dad sent you?" Lola asked excitedly as she pulled out another note from the box.

"Yea they are." Emily said with a faint smile.

"Can I read this one?" Lola asked, holding up the small note she'd just pulled out.

"Sure, go ahead darling." Emily said.

_Emily,_

_If there was one star in the night sky for every time I thought of you, there wouldn't nearly be enough, not even if you time's them by two.  
Happy birthday my love, hope your day is going well so far... I'm sorry we're on a case but I promise to make it up to you the second we get home._

_With love,  
Aaron_

"That's my favourite one." Lola said with a smile once she finished reading the note, and had placed it back in the box.

"Yea, it was mine to." Emily replied, staring at the note, and remembering how depressed she'd been on that case until she'd seen the note lying on her hotel bed.

"I want to read one now!" Joshua exclaimed as he pulled out another note from the box.

_My darling Wife Emily,_

_Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle. – Amy Bloom.  
__Hello Mrs Hotchner... You know I doubt I'll ever get tired of calling you that. I know that I'm currently sitting in our honeymoon suite beside you, but our wonderful relationship started a year and a half ago with a simple note, so I thought I'd give you another one now just to tell you how much I love you.  
With all my heart, soul and strength I love you Emily and that will never chance until the day we both die... I just thought you should know that._

_All my love from now until the end of time, _

_Aaron_

When Joshua finished reading all three children looked up to see tears brimming in their mother's eyes.

"Are you ok?" Lola asked, scared that her mother was crying again... because last time she cried she almost hadn't stopped.

"Mom's fine Lola... how about you and Josh go and play, I'll come in a minute." Jack said to his sister.

Lola nodded and she and Joshua both ran out of the room, Jack following them and shutting the door quietly behind them.

He then turned to face his stepmother and seen more tears pooling in her eyes as she looked at another item that had been in the box.

Jack walked back to the couch and sat beside her, looking over her shoulder to read the card for himself.

_Aaron James Hotchner  
1965-2015  
Gone but never forgotten._

"Do you miss him?" Jack wondered as he wiped a tear from his own eye.

"Every day, from the second I wake up until the second I close my eyes... and even then it still hurts when I'm asleep." Emily whispered, not trusting herself to speak out loud.

The two sat in silence then, Jack remembering all the memories he had left of his father and Emily remembering the day he'd died.

She remembered how it was supposed to be a simple witness interview, but how they'd gotten the profile wrong... how the Unsub had shot him in the chest before either of them had a chance to shoot him, and how she'd had to wait for the ambulance, knowing it wouldn't get there in time, knowing he was going to die, and knowing she was going to have to go home and tell Jack that he'd now, at the age of ten, lost both his parents, and tell Joshua and Lola that despite the fact they were only three, that they weren't going to see their daddy again.

She'd remembered how for months after she hadn't stopped crying, and how on several occasions she'd simple left the kids at JJ or Garcia's house, and just gone home to cry until the tears refused to come anymore.

"You know, Josh asked me what he was like the last day." Jack whispered. "And I didn't know what to say... I was mad at him for not remembering him." He admitted.

"It's ok honey, we all went through that... I remember the first time you asked your dad what your mom was like... he shouted at you and you came running to me in tears, but I found you and him in his room later looking at old pictures of her together and laughing... it's ok to be angry, but Lola and Josh don't remember, we do. It's up to us to make sure they always know how amazing their father was, and how much he loved them... just like it's up to me to make sure you remember your mom." Emily told him, wrapping an arm around his waist and giving him a kiss on the forehead.

"I know... I just miss him sometimes." Jack said. "And I know Uncle Spence helps me with school work and Uncle Derek helps me with girls and Uncle Dave takes me fishing... but it's just not the same as having a dad to do them things with."

"I know sweetheart, I know... but as long as you know that he loved you, Lola and Josh more than anything in the world, just like I do, then that's all that matters." Emily told him as she wiped a tear from his eye.

"Thanks mom... I love you to." Jack said, before he stood and went to play with Lola and Joshua.

Emily sighed as she lifted the last item out of the box. It was a picture of the team... their family... a day before he'd died.

They were all in the park and the kids were sitting on a picnic blanket at the front, Jack and Henry beside each other with Lola and Joshua between their legs.

The adults were behind them on the ground, Garcia sitting with Kevin's arms wrapped around her waist and with Morgan leaning on her shoulder, JJ sitting in Will's lap with her arms around his neck, with Reid sitting beside them with a lopsided grin and Rossi next to him trying not to laugh at Reid's awkward smile.

Finally her and Aaron were at the end of the picture, her propped up in his arms as she lay out to a side, smiling up at something he'd just said, and looking into his eye's.

Little did any of them know that this was the last happy picture that they'd have taken together... sure they had many since that day, but even with JJ and Will's second child and Garcia and Kevin's first, there was always an empty space, just like there was in her heart.

She brushed another tear from her eye as she placed the picture back in its box... knowing she didn't need pictures to remember the man she loved.  
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Whoa! I actually made myself a little teary eyed writing that. Well that wasn't how it was supposed to end, it was supposed to be Hotch coming into the room and having a nice little family moment but this idea possessed me and the other ending just didn't seem right.

By the way, the story takes place in 2019, four years after Hotch's death. Jack is 14 and the twins are 7.

Tell me what you thought of it. =)_  
_


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